FAQ
What is water scarcity and why does it matter for agriculture?
Water scarcity refers to the lack of sufficient available water resources to meet the demands of water usage, especially for agriculture, which is the largest consumer of freshwater globally. It threatens food security, reduces crop yields, and undermines the resilience of farming communities, particularly in drought-prone regions like southern Europe.
What is the RAINS project?
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What specific problems in agriculture does RAINS address?
RAINS tackles water scarcity, increasingly erratic weather (such as droughts and torrential rains), inefficient irrigation, soil degradation, and overuse of traditional agrochemicals. These challenges undermine agricultural productivity and climate resilience across Mediterranean and other vulnerable EU farming regions.
How does RAINS aim to improve water efficiency by 2050?
RAINS is demonstrating practical solutions like enhanced soil water retention, precision fertigation (combining fertilisers and irrigation), reclaimed water use, and digital monitoring tools. The project’s ambition is to boost water use efficiency by 50% on 12,700 hectares, potentially saving 244 million litres of water and €6.1 billion, while reducing CO₂ emissions by 35 tonnes by 2050.
What are biofertilisers and how are they used in RAINS?
Biofertilisers are natural products containing living microorganisms, algae extracts, or plant-based nutrients that promote soil health and increase plant uptake of water and nutrients. Within RAINS, these are combined with advanced irrigation systems to improve efficiency, reduce dependence on synthetic chemicals, and support sustainable crop growth.
What are smart irrigation tools like Optifangs-IA and WaterIQ?
Optifangs-IA and WaterIQ are digital decision-support tools that help farmers determine when and how much to irrigate or fertigate crops. These tools leverage real-time data, AI, and modelling to minimise water waste and ensure optimal growing conditions across diverse environments.
How does RAINS support farmers in Greece and Spain?
RAINS is piloting its solutions on 10 demo farms across the Valencia region in Spain and Central Macedonia/Lesvos in Greece – regions hit hardest by drought, flooding, and water shortages. It provides hands-on support, training, and practical demonstrations to over 500 farmers to help them adopt sustainable practices and technologies.
What role do stakeholders play in RAINS?
RAINS brings together a “quadruple helix” of stakeholders – including farmers, researchers, businesses, policymakers, and community groups– to jointly develop, test, and refine solutions. The project also provides opportunities for co-creation and shared learning to enhance adoption and policy impact.
What are the main technologies and practices being tested?
The project is testing alternative water supplies (such as reclaimed wastewater and fog harvesting), smart fertigation strategies, natural soil amendments (like compost bricks and biobased nets for water retention), and advanced modelling tools for water and nutrient management at the farm and regional scale.
How will RAINS evaluate the safety and effectiveness of its solutions?
RAINS performs rigorous field trials – including over 20 soil health and toxicity tests– across its pilot farms. These tests follow international safety standards and track the environmental, social, and economic performance of the deployed innovations throughout the project duration.
What broader impact will RAINS have by 2050?
If scaled, RAINS innovations could help reshape European agriculture by mitigating water scarcity, lowering environmental impact, improving farmer income security, and informing EU-wide policy on irrigation and land management. It will contribute to the transition towards climate-resilient food systems across the continent by 2050.
How can interested stakeholders join or follow the RAINS community?
Anyone can sign up for the RAINS newsletter to receive project updates, results, and event notifications. The RAINS website also features the latest news, upcoming events, and partner/sister initiative links for deeper engagement and knowledge sharing. For direct inquiries, contact the project administrator or communications team via their provided emails.
